The C++ Alliance is a California non-profit 501(c)(3) (pending) organization whose primary function is to advance C++ by developing open source libraries.
The mission of the C++ Alliance is to empower C++ programmers by building a better C++ programming environment with such activities as: supporting the work of the ISO Standard Committee by improving the core language and standard library, supporting the creation and distribution of open source C++ libraries, developing, communicating, and promoting the use of C++ best practices, and supporting the creation and use of better tools and standards for building and working with C++ source code. The Alliance will achieve this by supporting individuals and organizations that are working toward these goals through both direct and indirect action or funding. The support may take any of several forms. For example, the Alliance will employ software engineers to create key open sources libraries or tools. The Alliance may give travel grants to events such ISO Standards Committee meetings, conferences, or other C++ related events. It may offer prizes to the individual or group of individuals that accomplish a specific goal. It may give sponsorships or other indirect support to conferences or other organizations with overlapping goals.
The organization achieves its mission through these means:
- Fund open source libraries
- Organize and support C++ conferences and community activities
- Support and promote WG21 proceedings
- Provide C++ education
Mankind has become increasingly reliant on software for all aspects of life including commerce, industry, recreation, transportation, communication, and more. We believe that the best software solutions are written using the C++ programming language. We believe that software and knowledge are best developed and published using the "open source" model: software for which the original source code is made freely available and may be redistributed and modified without restriction.
Our organization is dedicated to helping C++ evolve not only through the language specification but also through the ecosystem of open source libraries and talented individuals who make open source contributions.
Vinnie Falco
With 35 years of programming experience (25 years with C++), and 10 years experience with managing technology startups, Vinnie provides a strong vision and technical leadership to the organization. His open source accomplishments include Boost.Beast, NuDB, DSPFilters, and extensive contribution to Ripple. He is also known for authoring the BearShare file sharing application in 2001.
René Rivera
René Rivera is a contributor to the Boost C++ Libraries and was part of the Release Team, was Testing Manager, and is the author of Boost Predef and Boost Build. He has worked in the game development field since 1998 and has been doing C++ since 1987. He is a co-organizer for the Chicago C/C++ Users Group. Currently he is a Lead Programmer at Disbelief LLC doing contracting for companies doing AAA games and virtual reality development.
Jon Kalb
Jon Kalb is a C++ community organizer. He chairs CppCon, C++Now, the Silicon Valley Code Camp C++ Track, and the Boost Steering Committee. Jon does on-site C++ training for companies around the world and is the author (with Gašper Ažman) of C++ Today: The Beast is Back.
Louis Tatta
Louis Tatta serves as the Chief Executive Officer of C++ Alliance and is responsible for the day-to-day operation and general management of the company. Prior to joining, Mr. Tatta served as Chief Operating Officer at BearShare, where he managed operations of a technology startup, lead all business operations, new business development, product development, purchasing/procurement, and infrastructure development. Managed key account relationships and executed strategic marketing plans with advertising partners. Previous to this, Mr. Tatta held various positions in the financial service industry.
The technical committee performs technical research on projects and individuals, and advises the board on technical and social topics related to C++.
Glen Fernandes
Glen Joseph Fernandes has worked at Intel and Microsoft as a Software Engineer. He is the author of the Boost Align library, a major contributor the the Boost Smart Pointers and Boost Core libraries, and has also contributed to several other Boost C++ libraries. He is a contributor to the ISO C++ Standard by authoring proposal papers and defect reports, and has two features accepted for the upcoming C++20 standard (P0673R1, P0653R2). He lives with his wife, Caroline, and daughter, Aeryn, in the US, graduated from the University of Sydney, Australia, and before all that, lived in New Zealand.
Jens Weller
Jens Weller is the organizer and founder of Meeting C++. Doing C++ since 1998, he is an active member of the C++ Community. From being a moderator at c-plusplus.de and organizer of his own C++ User Group since 2011 in Düsseldorf, his roots are in the C++ Community. Today his main work is running the Meeting C++ Platform (conference, website, social media and recruiting). His main role has become being a C++ evangelist, as this he speaks and travels to other conferences and user groups around the world.
Q) Given the existence of Standard C++ Foundation and Software Freedom Conservancy, why was it necessary to form The C++ Alliance as a new, separate legal entity?
A) Although the missions of Standard C++ Foundation and The C++ Alliance are similar and overlapping, they have different status under tax law. The Foundation is organized as a 501(c)(6) organization, a trade group. In addition to providing legal protection for companies to work together in ways that might otherwise be viewed as industrial "collusion," a trade group can accept tax-deductible dues from member companies. The Alliance is organized as a 501(c)(3) organization, a charity which can accept tax deductible contributes from the general public.
Although the tax status of Software Freedom Conservancy and The C++ Alliance are similar, their missions and concerns are different. There is mission overlap. Conservancy, whose mission is to support the development of FLOSS libraries supports the Boost Libraries project, which would also be within the mission of The Alliance, but The Alliance has both a narrower and a broader mission. While Conservancy is language agnostic and is focused on software development, The Alliance is focused exclusively on the C++ environment and is free to support non-FLOSS projects such as language proposals, books, education materials, tools, or other projects which may not be software or may have non-FLOSS licensing.
It is also the case that The C++ Alliance is not a good fit as a Conservancy project. It is appropriate for small open-source projects to pool their resources to provide themselves with financial, legal, accounting, and other services for which they have a common need and for which they may, individually, be too small to economically procure. Although The Alliance will be promoting library development, it doesn't have the same requirements as a FLOSS software producer, so would need different services than your typical Conservancy project and has sufficient endowment to fund the services that it will require.
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July 4, 2018 Added FAQ
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January 9, 2018 Update About
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January 9, 2018 Add Technical Committee
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January 2, 2018 Update mission statement
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January 2, 2018 Update team designations
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November 26, 2017 Jon Kalb joins as Advisor
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October 20, 2017 René Rivera joins as Advisor
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October 16, 2017 Jens Weller joins as Advisor
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October 1, 2017 Louis Tatta joins as Vice-Chairman
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July 7, 2017 Beast is accepted into Boost